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Bits & Pieces

Lordy Bess, what a wonderful article by Pete Magill this morning on his Younger Legs for Older Runners blog. It’s titled “No Such Thing as a Perfect Race.” You’ve got to read it.

I’ve mentioned Pete before — he holds the over-45 world record for 5000 meters. He’s a smart, helpful, and entertaining guy. Check the videos on his site where he teaches plyometric strength exercises for master’s runners. They’re lots of fun.

I’m always looking for ways to find happiness amid running’s unavoidable ups and downs — the injuries, baffling fatigue, moods, rain, and face plants. What doesn’t work is trying to make everything positive, all the time. Life just isn’t like that. We can’t change it, we can only “adapt and survive.” Running itself can teach us how to win the battle. That calm, focused, interiorized, impersonally joyful state that comes during the best runs holds the keys to turning bummers into blessings.

Thanks, Pete. It’s wonderful to find a runner whose insights are so rich and nourishing.

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